There's no quit in these Mexico mission quilters
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From left, Wendy Kovach of Valencia, Jane Sorchilla of Carnegie and Lisa Suppo of Valencia pose for a portrait with a quilt they created at Mrs. Kovach's home last month.
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Jane Sorchilla sews, but she doesn't sew for the quilting group that she works with at Carnegie Presbyterian Church.
"I organize everything," she said. "Someone has to take care of that."
Mrs. Sorchilla belongs to a group at her church that sews quilts for children to be housed at an orphanage in Mexico through the Tapestries of Life Ministry in Fabens, Texas.
It's a long way from Carnegie to Guadalupe, Mexico, but there are actually several connections that the Tapestries Ministry has with the Pittsburgh area.
Mrs. Sorchilla, her husband, Bob, and other members of the Carnegie Presbyterian Church have traveled to Texas and Mexico on mission trips to assist with the orphanage project.
Cathy Schultz of South Fayette organizes the trips and belongs to Bethany Presbyterian Church in Bridgeville.
"We actually learned about the whole ministry through Cathy," Mrs. Sorchilla said.
On the quilting side, Wendy Kovach of Mars oversees the quilting project in the Pittsburgh area and has gone on several missions trips as well.
Mrs. Sorchilla has wanted to go on a mission trip for several years, but with 10 grandchildren, "someone was always being born," she said.
In April 2008, Mrs. Schultz invited Mrs. and Mr. Sorchilla -- Bob Sorchilla was in charge of mission work for their church -- and others to hear a talk by Steve Brewer, head of Tapestries of Life Ministry.
"After I heard him talk, I said to my husband, 'I don't know about you, but I'm going,' " Mrs. Sorchilla said. He agreed.
In late 2008, the Sorchillas and other members of their church headed on Mrs. Schultz's mission trip. The main project is an orphanage in Guadalupe where Mr. Brewer hopes to house 400 children. The mission workers helped work on the orphanage.
Some of the members of the group were not able to make the trip from Fabiens, Texas, to Guadalupe every day. "So they stayed back and sewed," Mrs. Sorchila said.
When the group returned, it was a natural that they continue sewing, especially because Mrs. Kovach was already spearheading an effort to sew quilts for the bedrooms at the orphanage.
First Published March 10, 2011 5:30 am
